Mail-box.



A. D. COON.

MAIL BOX.

APPLlc/mon FILED 111111,14. 1913. RENEWED ocr. 8, 1914.

111,21 39AM Patented 111115718, 1915.

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UTE@ @TATES PATENT @FFEQE ARTHUR D. COON, OF BALLSTON SPA, NEW YGRK.

:MAIL-BOX.

Application filed March 14, 1913, Serial No. 754,238. 1Renewed Qctober 8. 1914.

T0 all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR D. Coon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ballston Spa, in the county of Saratoga, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Boxes, o-f which the following is a specification.

rlhe present invention relates to receiving and distributing devices, and particularly rural mail boxes. In devices of this kind easy accessibility, for example, to a vehicle on the road with a minimum of effort must be combined with safety to traffic and to the box itself.

1t is the object of my invention to provide a box of simple and rugged construction which may be brought into position convenient to the mail carrier and simultaneously opened ready to receive or deliver mail by a single motion.

My invention will be pointed out with greater particularity in the appended claims taken in connection with the following description and drawings in which- Figures 1 and 2 are top views of the box and mechanism arranged respectively for either side of the road; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the box while partly open, the walls being shown in part broken away, and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the mechanism showing especially its reversibility.

As shown in Fig. 3, the mail box 1, comprises two engaging or telescoping members, one of which is attached to a supporting arm 2, and preferably constitutes all but the end wall of the box. As clearly shown the end wall 3 is attached to a shallow tray 4 which slides over the bottom of the box, being held in position by guides 5, only one of which is shown. This tray-like part of the box carries a clip 6 for holding mail and a pocket or compartment 7 for coins which may be left for stamps. The coins rest upon the shell 8 and may be freed by tilting the pocket which is hinged to two small brackets.

Engaging with the sliding tray is a pin 9 located upon the end of a rod 10, and passing through a slot 11 in the bottom of the fixed part of the box. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the rods 2 and 10 are positioned at an acute angle to each other, are both attached to an L-shaped plate 12 which is carried by a Pivoted upon a lug, or projection Specicaton of Letters Patent.

ljatented May 18, 1915.

Serial No. 865,764.

13 of the supporting plate is a bell-crank lever 14. The short arm of the bell-crank is provided with a pin passing through a slot 15 in the arm 2 as most clearly shown in Fig. 4. The bell-crank is preferably made of two members which can be easily taken apart so as to adapt the mechanism for operation upon either side of the road. The changes in the arrangement of parts for this purpose may readily be observed by comparing Figs. 4 and 5, as well as 1 and 2. For example, all that is necessary to reverse the vbell-crank lever is the loosening of the set screw 1G, thus disengaging the two arms of the lever.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be observed that by pulling the lever 14 in the direction of the arrow, the pin in the end of the short arm will move in the slot and will urge the rod 2 in the direction of the second arrow to swing the box forward upon its support. As the box is moved laterally through an angle in a horizontal plane the lever 10 automatically pushes out the tray 4 and end 3 of the box, as the rod 10 is longer than the supporting arm 2 and becomes more nearly parallel to the arm 2. When the box has swung into the road over an angle of about 900 it is wide open so that the carrier may take from it, or place in it letters, or packages. 0f course, if desired, the box may also be swung out independently of the lever 14 while still retaining the automatic opening feature. 1t is closed by returning it to its initial position. 1f desired, a signal as a flag, 17, may be provided, which is automatically set by the closing of the box to indicate that mail has been left. Attached to the bearing upon which the flag is mounted is a lug 18, preferably located inside the box. A finger 19 on the end of the box engages with the lug when the box is closed to lift the flag. 1n case it is not desired to set the signal the finger is depressed so as not to touch the lug.

This construction provides a simple receiving and distributing apparatus in which mail is protected from the weather without causing any loss of time or inconvenience in collecting.

While l have described with particularity an apparatus embodying my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the exact details here shown as it is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

i What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination of a main box comprising telescoping members, a supporting arm for one of said members, and means for automatically outwardly extending another member when said supporting arm is moved through an angle in a horizontal plane.

2. The combination of a receiving and distributing box, comprising telescoping members, means for supporting said box, and means for automatically extending the telescoping parts of said box with respect to each other by a motion of the support in a horizontal plane.

3. In a mail receiving and delivering apparatus, the combination of a box havingtwo relatively movable bottom walls, a movable supporting arm attached to one of said walls, and means coperating with said arm to extend the other bottom wall outwardly when said supporting arm is moved through an angle of substantially 90o in a horizontal plane.

4. In a mail receiving and delivering apparatus, the combination of a container having relatively movable parts, a rotatably mounted slotted arm supporting said container, a fixed support, a bell crank pivoted thereon and having a pin on its shorter arm moving in the slot in said slotted arm and a rod also pivotally attached to said fixed support at a point farther removed from said box when closed than the arm support whereby the movable part of the container is protruded as the bell crank is moved.

5. In a receiving and distributing device, the combination of a vertical support, a supporting arm pivotally mounted on said support, a box attached thereto having a tray sliding in and out, a rod longer than said arm engaging at one end with said tray, and means for movably engaging with the other end of said rod to hold the rod at an acute angle to the arm.

6. In a receiving and distributing device, a telescoping container, a supporting arm therefor, a pivot support for said arm, a bell crank coperating therewith to move said container, one of said coperating elements having a slot and the other a moving therein, a rod attached to a movable part of said container and a pivoted support for said rod located at a greater distance from the point of attachment to the box than the pivotal arm support.

7. In a receiving and distributing apparatus, the combination of a container comprising telescoping members, a support for said container, and means for extending the parts of said container with respect to each other, said means being actuated by a rotation of the support.

In witness whereof, IY have hereunto setv my hand this 11th day of March 1913.

ARTHUR D. COON.

Witnesses:

JAMES D. REID, LEONARD J. IVEED.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the CommissionerV of Patents, Washington, D. G3

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